Self-Care in Diabetes as perceived by diabetic patients - A Systematic Qualitative Approach

Background: India is one of several developing nations where diabetes mellitus has grown to be a severe global public health concern. The individual, medical staff, and healthcare system are all subject to a heavy burden of care. As a result, there is a huge need of self-care practices in a variety of domains, such as nutrition, exercise, foot care, and blood sugar monitoring. Objectives: To determine perceptions regarding self-care management among individuals with Type 2 Diabetes mellitus following up at rural field practice areas of a tertiary care institute in Mangaluru. Materials and methods: Qualitative study using systematic technique by free listing approach was carried out on a total of forty patients confirmed type 2 Diabetes. By consecutive sampling 20 patients each from 2 field practice areas of a Tertiary medical institute were taken. Results: The general reason leading on to the diagnosis of diabetes stated was tiredness which had a composite salience of 0.48. The composite salience for self-care practice was 0.48. Participants stating that diabetes can be controlled had a composite salience of 0.3. Conclusion: Perception regarding self-care included diet, foot care, stress reduction and exercise with majority mentioning that diabetes can be controlled by these self-care mechanisms.